1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rear entry ski boots which comprise a latch closure mechanism for closing the upper around the lower leg of the skier, and relates more particularly to a lever which makes it possible to more easily open the latch at will.
2. Description of Relevant Materials and Background
In a known manner, rear entry ski boots comprise a rigid shell base on which is journalled at least in part, around a horizontal transverse axis, an upper which is composed of a cuff and a rear spoiler. The rear spoiler is itself journalled around a transverse horizontal axis which can be coincident with the axis of the cuff, attached to the upper and/or the rigid shell base in a manner so as to be able to pivot rearwardly to allow for the introduction of the foot into the boot with a frontward movement.
For insertion of the foot in the boot to be efficient for skiing, as well as comfortable, it is necessary to assure closure and latching of the upper on the lower leg of the skier by connection of the rear spoiler to the cuff.
To achieve this the cuff is provided on both sides with generally adjustable anchorage points. A hook and pin system may be provided for a cable which passes from one side to the other of the rear spoiler through guides, and can be stretched and pulled tight by means of a latching or manipulation lever journalled on the rear spoiler which latches or locks in the closed position. This lever is in the general configuration of a solid plate, flat or arched, and which occupies a relatively substantial portion of the width of the dorsal part of the rear spoiler. Instead of being solid, the lever can also be in the form of a "U" or horseshoe between the arms of which may be provided an adjustment element capable of assuring functions other than closure of the boot. Such a lever is described in French Application No. 84 029 900, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.
Furthermore, the same lever may be adapted, in addition to closure of the upper around the lower leg, to assure the tightening and hold down of the foot in the shell base by means of a single manipulation.
The latching action of the lever is obtained by an elbow or over the center toggle latch formed by guiding the cable through a direction change on the rear spoiler, over the journalled axis of the lever on the rear spoiler and the connection of the cable to the free end of the lever. By moving back the lever from the open position until the dead point, one obtains closure and then, after passing through the dead point, latching into the closed position.
When seeking maximum simplicity and ease in the manipulation of the closure and latching of the boot, it becomes desirable to eliminate all manual intervention of the skier as is shown for example in French Patent Application No. 83 20 413 which discloses apparatus having a closure and latching lever with a spring return, for example. Opening of the boot requires a voluntary intervention by the skier to unlatch the latch.
Likewise, in certain apparatus wherein closing and latching can be performed directly with the other foot without the skier having to bend down, a voluntary intervention of the skier is still necessary on the lever to cause unlatching. By virtue of the elbow apparatus, unlatching has always necessitated a "voluntary" intervention which can hardly be anything other than manual, to lift the lever above the dead point, which in effect requires that the skier must bend down to reach the free end of the lever.